Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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InterlockillgFr~n~Lo~lBa~ tQ~ge ~o~t~
~ Qf ~Inventinn
S l~e present invention relates to bulk storage eontainers which m~y be loaded
from the -front and which in~rlock so that a rnerchandising shelving ~ may be
cons~ucted.
Ba~l~ground of th~ Inv~ntion
E~fective merchandising m hardware stores means p~ltting as much merchandise
as possible into the floor space available. Typically in a hardware store ~here
are bins of loose nails, sc~ews or ~e like. A typical example of a n~il bin
display is of the style having round dish-shaped bins rotatably moun~ecl on a
15 pole. Other examples of display cont~ners are box-like eontainers manufactured
by Stanl~y(~ and sold as Stanley~ ~erchandising Systems. Typically
these ~tanley(TM~ bins are ~ee-standing or possibly stack:able one on top o:f
ano~e~. Us~ally they a~e placed sicle-by-side on a rack and the rack mounted to
a wall. These bins do not ~nterlock when placed side-by-side. ~Iowever,
20 interlocking vertical columns m~y be made of such bins. The present inventionmakes more e~ecti~e use of merchandise display space than either ~e rotatable
circular bins or ~e Stanley(~ bins by providing box-like ~ntainers ~ich
interlock vertically, side-to-side, and side-to-ba~k to fonn a densely packed
: mer~handising shelving uni~.
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Tlle inventor is also aw~re of United States patent n~lmber 3,851,936 which
issued on December 3, 1974 to Muller for an invention entitled Atta~hment
Oevice for M[odular Units. This patent teaches modular front-loacling cabinets
where the side walls of the modular units are configured to provide interlockingS su~faces. The interlocking surfaces have wedge-slhaped raised and recessed
portions aligned front-to-back on the side walls of the modular uniLts. Raised
portions interlock into recessed portions correspondingly placed on adjacent
units so as to interlock such units side-to-side. The modular units may also be
similarly interlocked vertically. Again the wedge-shaped raised and recessed
10 portions on the top and bottom s~faces of the units are aligned ~om front-to~back and lock the rnodular units relative to one another. The M[uller system is
rather inflexible in that no provision is m~e for mounting the modular units
back-to-back or bacl~-to-side. Thus each colu~n or wall of sueh units must
stand alone and cannot rely on interlocking in a back-to-back or ba~k-to-side
15 orientation to other such colu~s :fi~r added stability. The configuration of
interlo~king horizontally-oriented wedges fillther makes dis-assembly and re-
assembly, so as $o vary the sha~e or siæ of a particular merch~dising display,
quite difficult becallse ~e modular units can not be lif~ed straight ~ut of the
display but must be translated horizontally and then only by disassembly sta~t~ng
20 at one end of the display a~d working inw~rds removing one unit at a time.
What is required is a firont-loading interlocking modular display unit which maybe built up ~m individual ~ont-opening modular units into a merchandising
display by interlocking columns of such units side-to-side, baek-to-back and
25 ba~k-to-side, such a merc~dising display adapted to be disassembled in part
and reassembled without the need to completely dis~ntle the display.
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Summar~of ~In~tion
The present in~lention is comprised of modular box-like bins, each bin
S incorporating vertical channels into the side ~d back walls of the bins so that a
plurality of such bins may be sta~ked and mounted adjacent in a side-to-side,
back-to-back or back-to-side arrangement by sliding extruded jointer rails into
the vcrtical channels in the bins when the chc~nels are adjacently placed. 1he
channels vertically align and may be placed in close proximity with vertically
10 aligned channels in adjacent col~s of bins. The vertical channels are shaped
so as to accept the jointer rails in a dove-tail fit, each rail in cross-sectionhaving two opposed male dove-tail matin~ sections. Each of the opposed male
dove-tail mating sections fit s~ugly, and may be slid longitudinallly i~to,
respective adjc~cently placed vertical channels.
Adjacent bins have corresponding vertical channels on each bin in close
proximity to one another so ~at the jointer rails may be slid vertically into both
adjacent vertical channels sinnultaneously, thereby ~astening ~e adjacent bins to
one another.
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Sirnilarly, in stacked columns of such modular bins, a single jointer rail may be
fitted continuously and vertic~ly ~rough ~e longitudinally aligned vertical
charmels on each bin to secure the columnar ori~nta~ion of those bins.
25 What constitutes ~e pres~nt inven~ion comprises a bin having ~ont, rear and
side su~faces, the ~on~ surface having an opening therein, ~e side and rear
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suIfaces having at least one vertical groove on each of the surfaces, and a railfor sliding engagement within at least one vertical groove, the rail having, in
cross-section, opposed ends wider than a middle section of the cross-section,
wherein each of the ~t least one vertical groove have a firont aperture and a
5 recessed cavity behind the aperture, the recessed cavity wider in cross-section
than the front aperture, ~e rail for interlocking mating engagement of two of the
bins when ~e bins are adjacexlt.
Advantageously~ the recessed eavity of each of the at least one vertical groove
10 corresponds in shape and size ~o the opposed ends of the rail.
In particular, the -front aperture is a vertical slit, and each of ~e opposed ends of
the rail in cross section slidingly mates wi~in each of the recessed ca~ities in a
dove-ta;l.
Brief Description of thç 12:~in~
Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a modular bin of ~e present in~ention.
20 Figure 2 is a front perspective view of a merchandising display made up of
~n~dular bins representatively illustrated in Figure 1.
F;gure 3 is a perspective view of a jointer rail of ~e present invention.
25 Figure 4 is a ~ont perspective view of a va;riation of ~e merehandising display
of Figure 2.
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Figure 5 illustrates, ;n partial plan view, two adjacent bins of the type ill-ustrated
in Figure 1 interlocked wsing jointer rails of the type illustrated in Figure 3.
Figu:re 6 is, in plan view, a decorative end plate wlIich may be mounted to the
S bin of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a firont perspective view of a f~er variation of the merchandising
display o-f Figure 2.
10 Detaile~Descril~tiQn ~f a I~Embodiment
Figure 1 illustrates a typical single modular bin 2 according to the present
invention. Bin 2 has ve~tical channels 4. Bin 2 has ~ont ope~ing 6 and may
have one or more divid~rs 7.
As illuskated in Figure 2, bins 2 rn~y be stacl~ed vertically and colu~ar sta~ksof bins 2 may be placed and interlocked adjacent to one another so as to fo~n a
merchandising display 8.
20 Stacked and a~jacent bins 2 are anch~red to one another by inserting jointer rail
10, illust~ated in Figure 3, in vertical channels 4. Jointer rail 10 is comprised of
opposed male nL~ting halves 12, each male mating hal:f 12 adapted ~o slide
snugly into vertical channels 4 which are correspondingly dove-tail sha~ed.
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25 ~lertical channels 4 are spaced equidis~ce apart around ~he side and b~k
su~f~es of bin 2 so ~at, as illustrated ~ ~ Ire 4, merchandising display 8 may
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be comprised of bins 2 mo~nted not only vertically and side-by-side but also
back-to-back and back-to-side. Again, merchanclising c~splay 8 may be built up
in this fashion using bins 2 by merely aligning the vertical channels 4 {)n e~h
of bins 2 and inserting jointer rail 10 therein so that each male mating hal:f 12 of
5 rail 10 snugly slides into adjacent channels 4 The dove-tail shape of male
mating halves 12 snugly mating into correspondingly shapecl vertical channels 4
ensures that bins 2 when so mated are secured to one another laterally.
~ ~is fashion a front-loading modular bulk storage bin display such as
10 merchandising display 8 can be build up so as to make maxim~m use of display
floor space. The height of the display is only limi~ed by ~e s~uctur~l strength
of ~e bins themselves and the weight of stored material, the entire display 8
being given rigidity by the interlocking nature of the jointer rail 10 in vertical
channels 4 Stored material may be loaded into, and removed ~om, bins 2 via
15 front openings 6.
Vertical channels 4 also allow for attachment to bins 2 of modified jointer rails
14, shown in cross-section in Figure 5. Modified jointer rails 14 m~y be
m~dified to inco~porate anchors 16 which are designed to fasten into holes in
20 peg-board 18 or the like or to anchor into other wall structures. Anchors 16 are
pre-s~ into modified jointer rails 14. Modified jointer rails 14 are, in use,
inse~ted into vertical channels 4 in the back wall of merchandising display 8,
that is, the wall of d;isplay 8 adjacent a wall structllre. Thus a m~rchandisingdisplay ~ may be ~rther stabilizRd by anclloring the display to a wall using
25 modified walls 14 incorporating anchors 16.
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As illustrated in Figure 6, the present invention also provides that a decorative
end plate 20 may be mounted on the sides or rear surfaces of bins 2 which form
merchandising display 8 so as to provide an aesthetically pleasing finish. End
plates 20 are affixed to the sides of hins 2 or rear su~faces of bins 2 again by5 aligning vertically channel 4 on end plate 20 with vertical channels 4 on the
su~face whi~h is desired to be covered and inserting in adjacent channels a,
30inter rail 10 in the same fashion by which bins 2 may be interlocked.
Fig~re 7 illustrates how bins 2 may be arranged and interlocked to form a
1~ display which displays goods from fo~ sides ;n a carousel arrangement.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing
disclosure, ~ny alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of ~is
invention without departing -f~om the spirit or scope thereof. ~ partieular, it is
15 ap~arPnt that other ~an a dove-tail shape may ~e employed ~or ~e rails and
vertical channels so long as the rails may be inserted longitudinally into t~vo
adjace~tly placed vertical channels so as to adja~ently lock two adjacent bins
against one an~ther. Further, it m~y be seen ~at bins 2 may be modified in
shape for example to provide ~ont loading upwardly sloping shelves for
20 merchandising boxes of screws or ~e like, or for example to provide front
loading drawers for small loose articles such as small fasteners or the like. Slleh
modification would not dctract from the rnanner, described herein, for locking
toge~er adjacent bins.
25 Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be cons~ued in accordance with
the substance defined by ~e following claims.
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